Safety gas-valve.



H. R. COX & W. SCHMIDT.

SAFETY GAS VALVE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 31, 1911.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS TED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

HOWARD RAYMOND COX ANID'WILLIAM 'SGHMTDT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY GAS-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

" Patented Sept, 3, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, HOWARD RAYMOND Cox and WILLIAM SoHMm'r. citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Safety Gas-Valve, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to safety gas valves of the kind which close automatically in case 015 fire.

More particularly stated, our invention comprehends a self-closing valve containing a valve'scat and a valve member movable against said seat, together with means for exerting leverage upon said valve member as thesame is pressed against its seat.

Our invention further comprehends a fusible member used in connection with a valve of this kind and provided with means for preventing the escape of gas otherwise liable to take place owing to the destruction of said fusible member.

Our invention further comprehends various improved devices for increasing the general eliiciency of the valve independently of the particular use to which it is applied.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, 1n which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a substantially central section through our improved safety gas valve, the parts being in their respective normalposi- 't-ions; Flg. 2 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation, showing the movable parts as they appear immediately after the fusible member has been destroyed by heat;

and ':Fig. 3is a detail showing in -perspec. tive the lever mechanism for forcing the movable valve member against the valve seat.

A valve casing is shown at 4 and is provided with a cylindricalportion 5, and also with an inlet 6- and with an outlet 7'. Disposed within the casing 4 and integral with the same is a web 8 having substantially an annular form, this webcoristituting a valve seat. Integral with the Web 8 and disposed centrally of the same is-a spider 9. Between the spider 9 and the web 8 are open spaces 10 through which the gas normally flows.

A valve member 11 having generally the form of a disk is provided, upon its upper a Wrench of rails 13 in alinement Witheach other and disposed upon opposite sides of a valve stem 14 upon which the valve 11 is mounted. The rails 13, bead 12 and disk-like valve 11, with the stem 14, may conveniently be cast in one piece, if desired. The rails 13 are simply, a pair of rod-like members extending in opposite directions from the stem 14 and merging into the head 12.

,A barrel 15 made of metal, and'having generally the form of a. cylinder, is provided internally with an annular partition 16 and is also provided externally with a threaded portion 17. This threadedportion extends through an annular bearing 18 carried by the casing" 4 so that the barrel 15 extends slightly into the casing. A washer 19-encircles the valve stem 14 and rests upon the upper end of the barrel 15. The lower end of this barrel is normally closed. by a cap 20. A disk 21 of fusible metal, or equivalent materiahadapted to be destroyed by heat, rests upon the annular partition 16, and the valve stem ,14 normally rests upon the disk 21.

The upper end of the cylindrical portion 5 is provided with a portion 22 threaded internally. Fitting into this portion is an annular supporting member 23 which is threaded externally to fit it. This supporting member 23l-oarries a spider' 24 integral with it. A cap 53513 provided centrally with an annular'iportion 2(ittobe engaged for the purpose of turning the cap. This cap is fitted intgathe threaded portion 22, as will'be-undengfwd from Fig. l. The iannular supporting' member 23 is provided with a pairl'of downwardly projecting arms 27 and theseare engaged by a pair of movable levers 28. These levers are inclined toward each. other and from their. bottom ends are suspended. two forks 29. The'levers 28 are, by aid of pins 30, journaled in the lower ends of the-arms 27 which are normally'stationary. A pa-irof arms 31 are mounted integrally upon-a-collar 31, the latter being slidably mountedu'pon the stem 14.' A'compress-ion spring-33 encircles the upper portion of the valve stem 14 and engages thespider 24'and also the collar 31*. When the disk 21 oflfusible metal, wax" or r the like, is melted, the molten material runs down into the bottom of the barrel 15. and collects at 21, as indicatedin Fig. 2. The

disk-like-valve member 11 is provided .with a sharp edge 34, and mounted upon the valve seat 8 is a packing 35 which maybe of asbestos. This packing is comparatively soft and is adapted to be engaged by the sharp edge 34 so as to make a gas-tight closure.

The operation of our device is as follows:

a the forks 29becomes greater and greater againstthe rails 13. The levers 28 under the influence of the spring 33 assume a vertical position, as in 2, and thus lock the valve positively in its closed position against the seat.

In thls way we do not depend on the tension of the spring to hold the valve, as the s [ring wouldbe weakened by fire. The seatlngof the valve 11 stops the flow of gas within the piping of the house and tends to prevent such danger as might otherwise be due to a free flow of gas in a burning building inwhich' some of the pipes or gas apparatus may be damaged by the fire. If it is desired to use the valve after being closed as by a; fire, the cap 25 may beunscrewed, the stem 14 is raised, and a new disk 21 placed' in position.

The packing 35 may be made of sheets of asbestos cemented together by silicate of sodium, and the seat may be coated with any suitable waterproof material. The concave form of the valve seatis designed to prevent the lodgment of any rust particlesthat may form. I

We do not ourselves to the precise arrangement shown, made therein without spirit of our invention.

Having thus described -'our invention,

departing from the what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A safety gas valve comprisin a casing, apair of overs disposed wit in said casing and journaled to' swing relatively to eachother, a valve stem mounted within J said casing, a pair of arms carried .fbyrsaid valve stem-and engaging said levers forthe 7 purpose of pushing one end of the latter as variations may be ble means within said casing and adapted to be engaged by said valve member.

2. A device of the character described comprising a-casing provided with a cylindrical portion, a member disposed within said'cylindrical portion comprising a spider and a pair of arms rigidly connected with saidspider, a pair of levers mounted upon said arms, a valve stem, mechanism mounted thereupon and engaging said levers for causing portions thereof to swing apart, a spring on said valve stem exerting. pressure on said mechanism, a valve member carried by said stem and slidably engaging said levers and actuated thereby, and a valve seat disposed legithin the path of travel of said valve mem- 3. A device of the character described comprising a casing, a valve seat mounted therein, a valve member located within said casing and movable relatively to said valve seat, said valve member .being provided with rails, levers provided with forks en agmg said rails, supportin members to which sa1d levers are ournale a valve stem connected with said valve member and disposed between said levers, a spring on said valve stem arms carried by said valve stem and slidably engaging said levers, said spring exerting, pressure on .said arms and means for normally engaging said valve stemand supporting said valve member oflof said seat;

4. The combination with the valve and its seat, of fusiblemeans'normally sustaining the valve unseated, and a locking member movable to a osition approximately erpendicular to the valve when the said sible means is fused.

5. The combination with the valve and valve seat, of fusiblemeans normally sustaining the valve unseated, a locking member. movable to a position 'a proximately perpendicular to the valve w en the fusifuses, and a spring acting to move the locking member to its locking position. In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOWARD RAYMOND COX. WILLIAM SCHMIDT.

\ Witnesses:

Fnnnnnma J SCHMIDT, Loms W. KA'ITAU. 

